Page 46 of His Accidental Duchess

Kitty sniffed. “We play chess sometimes, which is very nice, but Papa always seems distracted. I go to his room to say good morning every day, because if I don’t, I won’t see him at all. And… and chess is so very boring! It’sboring,Anna!”

Anna bit back a smile. “I must confess, I don’t have a knack for chess. Why don’t you tell your papa you don’t want to play?”

“Because then we won’t do anything together! And… and there’s more.”

Anna swallowed hard, nodding slowly. “Go on, Kitty. I don’t mind, you can tell me everything.”

Kitty drew in a breath. “I heard two of the maids talking outside the nursery. They said that Papahadto marry again because he needed a son to be his heir. I don’t understand that. Why isn’t he happy with me? Aren’tIhis heir?”

Anna felt a little like she was drowning. She tried her best to stay calm and cool—the adult in charge—but she suspected that her panic was showing.

“Your papa loves you,” she repeated firmly. “The thing is, with dukes and earls and their titles, it has to go to a boy. That’s the law. That’s why he needs a son. Otherwise, this house and the title and everything in it and more will go to someone else.”

It occurred to her right then that it would go to Henry, and then Henry would likely not have children, and the title and estate would go to some distant cousin, or perhaps go extinct and be dissolved.

She cleared her throat. “It’s… it’s the law.”

Kitty stuck out her lower lip. “It’s a stupid law.”

Anna bit her lip. “Yes, it is a stupid law, but a law nonetheless.”

“So… so, do I not have anything, Anna?”

“Of course, you do! Kitty, you can have anything you want. You can do whatever you want. Or at least, you’re going to be able towhen you grow up. You just can’t be the Duke of Langdon like your papa.”

This seemed to have soothed Kitty, at least a little. She leaned back on her elbows, weighing up this new piece of information.

“I don’t mind not being the Duke of Langdon,” she said, at last. “It seems like a lot of work. Papa is always working, and he never has time for anything. He hardly ever smiles, and he doesn’t laugh even when I make the funniest jokes. I think it’s all because he’s a duke. Maybe Uncle Henry ought to have been the Duke of Langdon instead.”

Anna flinched at the unexpected mention of Henry.

“Oh, did you meet your papa’s brother, then?”

Kitty nodded. “Not very often, but I like Uncle Henry. He is nice.”

“What’s all this about Uncle Henry?”

They both flinched at the familiar voice.

Anna twisted around, squinting up at the silhouette looming over her. The setting sun shone behind Theodore, casting him into shadow, and she had to shield her eyes to look up at him. His expression, as usual, was unreadable.

He was looking at her though, waiting for her to respond.

“I was telling Kitty why she can’t be the Duke of Langdon,” Anna said at last. Best to go with the truth.

Behind him, Martha was padding across the lawn, carrying a tea tray. Theodore shifted, blocking out the sun enough for Anna to see his face. He looked exhausted, actually, with lines of strain around his eyes. She wondered where he’d been all day. She briefly considered asking him about it, but their relationship wasn’t the sort where they sat down and talked about their day.

“Eating out here, are you?” he remarked. “It’ll be dark in an hour. Shouldn’t you be getting inside?”

Anna breathed in. “Actually, we’re waiting out here to look at the stars. It was Kitty’s suggestion. She found a book on astronomy in the library, and although it’s incredibly difficult for us to read, we thought we might stay up late and pick out some constellations.”

“I want to see the Pole Star,” Kitty announced. “AndUrsa Major. Didn’t you say once that you could always find the Pole Star, Papa?”

“Indeed, I can,” Theodore said, half turning away. “It sounds as if you have a fun evening ahead of you.”

“Why don’t you stay out with us, Papa?” Kitty said, with a note of desperation in her voice that made Anna want to cry. “You can help pick out the constellations.”

“I don’t think—” Theodore broke off as his daughter flung herself at him, grabbing his arm and pulling hard, trying to get him to sit down.

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